Process of making laminated articles.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK, OF -WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING-V HOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL-VAN IA.

PROCESS OF MAKING LAMINATED ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing. Application filed December 18, 1914, Serial No. 877,979.Renewed October 2, 1918. Serial To all whom. it may concern Be it knownthat I, LOUIS T. FREDERICK, a citizen of the United States. and aresident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes ofMaking Laminated Articles. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of shaped bodies of laminatedmaterial, and it has special reference to the manufacture of rods,cylinders and other shaped articles from laminated material composed ofpaper or other absorbent sheet material held together by means of anadhesive substance.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and expeditiousprocess for molding laminated articles of the above indicated character.

I shall describe my invention with particular reference to electricalinsulating material consisting of layers of fibrous sheet materialcoated or impregnated with an adhesive which may be a phenoliccondensation product such as the well known bakelite. This material isordinarily prepared in sheet form by super-posing a suitable number ofsheets coated with a phenolic condensation productin. its fusiblecondition, and the pile of sheets is then subjected to heat and pressureto transform it into a hard coherent plate. the condensation productbeing thus converted into its infusible and insoluble condition.

Material prepared in the manner outlined above is largely used in theelectrical insulating art, and it is necessary to produce it in variousshapes according to the nature of the apparatus in which it is to beemployed.

The usual method of making these formed articles consists in preparing aplate of the required thickness, sawing the plate into sections of theapproximate size of the desired article and finally shaping the-sectionswith tools. For example, cylindrical rods are ordinarily made by sawingthe plate into strips and turning the strips'to the desired form in alathe.

According to my present invention, I shorten the process ofmanufacturing rods and other shaped articles of the above-indicatedcharacter by so modifying the method of making the laminated plate thatthe bakelite or other adhesive material is still plastic polygonal form.

when the plate is completed, so that the composite articles can be giventheir final form and hardness in a mold.

In carrying out. one example of my process, I first superpose, in theusual way, a number of sheetsof paper or other fabric coated orimpregnated with bakelite or other adhesive material that is capable ofbeing rendered hard and infusible by heat and pressure. I then subjectthe pile of sheets to heat and pressure sufficient to cause the sheetsto adhere to one another but not sufiicient to transform the adhesivematerial into its infusible condition. ,The plate thus prepared is cutor sawed into strips or other sections corresponding in size to thefinished articles desired, and these sections are pressed in molds intotheir final shape. Heat may be applied to the molds in order to insurethe complete conversion of the adhesive material into its hard andinfusible form.

One advantageous application of my process is in the manufacture ofinsulating rods. but numerous other formed articles may be made bypractising my invention. Adhesive materials other than phenoliccondensation products may also be employed. and the steps of the processmay be variously modified by persons skilled in the art within the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim'as my invention:

- 1. A process of making composite solid articles that comprises forminga preliminary b'ody composed of laminations of fibrous material and abinder and molding the said laminated body by pressure applied to thesides and edges of the said laminations.

2. A process of making composite solid articles that comprises forming apreliminary body composed of laminations of fabric and a binder, andmolding the said laminated body 3. A process of making composite solidarticles that comprises forming a preliminary body composed oflaminations of fibrous material and a binder that is adapted to hardenunder the influence of heat and pressure, and applying heat and pressureto mold the said body into cylindrical or polygonal form and to hardenthe said binder.

4'. A process of making rods, cylinders Patented Nov. 12, 1918. i

into solid cylindrical or and the like that comprises superposing aplurality of lamintations of fibrous material 5. A process of makingrods, cylindersand the like that comprises superposmg aplurality oflaminations of fibrous materialtreated with an adhesive material,causing the said laminations to adhere, dividing the resulting materialinto sections and molding the said sections into cylindrical form;

6. A process of making rods, cylinders and the like that comprisessuperposing a plurality of laminations of fibrous material treated withan adhesive material capable of being hardened under the influence ofheat and pressure, causing the said laminations to adhere, dividing theresulting material into sections and molding the said sections intocylindrical form.

7. A- process of making rods, cylinders and the like that comprisessuperposing a plurality of laminations of-fibrous material treated witha phenolic condensation product, causing the said laminations to adhere,and molding the said sections into cylindrical form.

8. A process of making rods, cylinders and the like that comprisessuperposing a plurality of laminations of fibrous material treated witha phenolic condensation product, subjecting the superposed laminationsto sufi'icient heat and pressure to cause the said laminations to adherewithout rendering the condensation product non-plastic, dividing theresulting material into sections and hot-molding the said sections int-ocylindrical form.

9. A process of making composite solid articles that comprises forming arectangular body composed of laminations of fibrous material and aphenolic condensation product which has not been completely transformedinto its final infusible condition, and applying heat and pressure tothe sides and edges of the laminations to mold the said bodyintonon-rectangular form and to article that comprises forming a preliminarybody' of laminated material and a binder, and'hot-molding said body intofinal form by pressure, at least part of which is applied in a directionparallel to the surfaces of the laminations.

11. A process of makinga com osite solid article that comprises forminga preliminary body of laminated material and a binder and hot-moldingand compacting said body into cylindrical form by laterally appliedpressures.

12. A process of making a composite solid article that comprises forminga preliminary body of laminated material and a binder, and transformingsaid body into a denser body 'of I cylindrical or polygonal form bypressing in a heated mold conforming in shape to the finished article.

13. A process of making a composite solid cylindrical or polygonal rodthat comprises forming a substantially rectangular body of laminatedmaterial and a binder, and molding said body into a more compactcylindrical or polygonal form of reduced sectional area by aterallyapplied pressures.

14. A solid cylinder molded from laminations of fabric and a binder.

15. A solid rod molded from flat laminations of fibrous material and abinder that is adapted to harden under the influence of heat andpressure.

16. A solid rod molded from flat laminations of fibrous material and aphenolic condensation product.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th dayof Dec. 1914.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK,

Witnesses:

Gown: E. McGee, B, B. HINES.

